No More Lonely Knights
by hope2x
Summary: Sometimes even the White Knight just needs a shoulder to lean on. Emma is upset and Regina seems to be the only one who notices. These are the drunken confessions of a lonely Knight.
1. Chapter 1

**I was trying to work on my other stories but this just popped into my head and i went with the flow :)**

**Timing**** wise, this would take place after the Millar's daughter as if Regina ended up turning on Cora to help Emma and them. (I have no idea how that will end up because i won't see that episode until Late tonight but this is just a way it could end) **

Regina sat in the back booth alone, nursing a now cool cup of coffee. She watched the happy party goers milling about with a neutral expression. These certainly weren't people she wanted to be around but that seemed to be the price she was to pay. In all honesty, despite the company, she was both surprised and relieved to receive her invitation.

Emma's apology over the murder accusation had been surprisingly sincere in Regina's opinion but the brunette hadn't really believed the sheriff when she said she would be making sure to involve Regina in Henry's life. She certainly had a hard time believing there would be anything behind the words "co parent" as Emma had also said. Something about doing this "like divorced parents" Emma had suggested. The only conditions being that Regina "stop doing evil shit" and no magic.

Only days later, before Regina had enough time for the seeds of doubt to really grow, she had received a call from Emma. It was simple but had caused a warmth to begin inside. A comforting feeling that things might start getting better. Snow had wanted a get together with their family and friends now that Cora was gone and things were settling again. The idea of spending more time with the Charming couple was incredibly unappealing but was far outweighed by the desire to see her son again.

She had barely talked to him in the last few days since she had helped them all go against Cora and save Gold. She had barely dealt with her own feelings on the matter but the hug she had received from her son after the fighting had finally passed made it all worth it. But now it had been a few days and she was missing him terribly. She smiled as she watched him chatting away with Nicolas and Ava.

Looking around, she spotted Emma at the counter, ordering a drink. She was surprising herself to realize the amount of anger she had always felt towards her was decreasing substantially everyday. Since the day the curse broke, Emma had made sure to keep Regina alive. They fought, yes. But Emma had just as much reason, if not more to want her dead, or at least locked away. She had been caught up on this again since Emma had still not taken her opportunity to end Regina's life when she had sided with her mother. Instead, giving the brunette one last chance. Both were glad she took it.

Her attention was taken when silverware was being tapped against a glass. Looking over, she saw Mary Margaret and David standing happily by the front door, facing everyone with large smiles on their faces. She suppressed an eye roll.

"Can I have everyone's attention please?" She started in a happy tone. Everyone looked to them and Emma put her glass down, turning to face them. "First of all, we want to thank everyone for being here. We actually have a little announcement to make and wanted all of our friends and family to hear it at once." She looked at David with a large smile that he matched before turning back to the rest of the diner. "We're having a baby!"

Nearly everyone in the room gasped before breaking out into applause. All except two people. Regina looked over to the stunned blonde, watching as she slowly closed her dropped jaw. _They didn't even bother to tell their own daughter? _Regina thought, actually irritated _for_ Emma. Before another thought, the applause died down and the overly perky brunette spoke again.

"Thank you all. We are so happy to have another chance with this baby." Again almost everyone smiled at the happy couple. And again, the same two were excluded.

_Are you kidding me?! _Regina thought now, thinking how rude that sounded. It wasn't like Emma was dead. She glanced over to the counter, not exactly sure what expression she expected on the blonde's face. Irritation was a likely one. But Regina was definitely taken slightly aback at what she saw. Emma's mouth had opened again in surprise before pressing closed in tight line. For a moment, Emma tilted her head down towards the floor while pressing her eyes closed. Regina looked over to the couple again and shook her head noticing that they were completely oblivious to the look on Emma's face. They had absolutely no clue how they had just hurt their own child.

Emma slowly opened her eyes and without looking at her parents, turned back to her drink and downed the entire thing in one shot. She tapped it on the counter, signaling a refill. Regina watched as Emma took the filled glass and mimicked her actions, drinking it all at once. It was while signaling for the next refill that her parents made their way over. Regina's eyebrows rose as she witnessed the morphing expression on Emma's face.

She knew exactly what was happening. She had after all, perfected the art. She watched as a pseudo smile fell down over Emma's features. One where lips pull out and curve up but no line touches anywhere near the eyes. However, Emma wasn't nearly as skilled in the act. Regina would have picked it up immediately at anytime and figured even the dimwitted Charming couple could see through the façade of their own daughter. Well she figured wrong.

Regina watched in disgust as Snow just flung her arms around Emma, immediately followed by David. They smiled wide, accepting the generic congratulatory words from their so obviously saddened daughter. Their ignorance would never cease to amaze Regina.

As soon as the happy couple parted from the blonde to continue their rounds, Emma turned back towards the counter, immediately downing the refilled drink. Regina couldn't keep the slight sneer from her own face as she watched the air headed couple move about. She looked back at the blonde but before she made a move, Henry ran up to Emma. They had a quick conversation before, to her slight surprise, Emma turned to her with a nod and the boy practically skipped over to her.

"Hey, Nicolas invited me for a sleepover. Emma said it's okay with her." He looked up expectantly and rose his eyebrows. "So is it okay with you too, can I go?" For a moment she was speechless. She understood Emma when the sheriff proposed they start making the parenting decisions together. But having Henry treat her like the authority again was a shock she barely hid from her features.

"Of course sweetie, have fun." She was rewarded with an easy grin from him that made a quick and large smile appear on her face.

"Thanks Mom!" He spun and ran away, meeting Nicolas and his sister at the door.

Regina spent the next hour keeping an eye on the increasingly inebriated sheriff. Someone had to, she figured and it obviously wasn't going to be her parents. She found herself increasingly irritated at their blindness. When they made to leave, they were actually fooled by Emma's attempt at sobriety while stating she was gonna hang out a little longer. Regina couldn't blame Emma though. She wouldn't want to go home with the couple either.

A little while after their departure, most other of the diner's occupants followed, leaving only Emma, Regina, the bar tender, and a few drunk dwarves. Emma seemed prepared to continue all night, but the man who had been serving her had other ideas.

"Sheriff I think that's enough. What do you say I call David to come pick you up."

"If you call my da- If you call David then I'm gonna arrest you." It was impossible to take her seriously while she was slurring her words and waving her index finger around wildly. The bar tender sighed.

"Well you can't drive. I don't think you can even walk so someone has to take you home." He insisted but Emma just shook her head.

"I am fine!" She said standing up too quickly and swaying. She was heading towards the floor when two arms slid under hers, pulling her back upright and then holding her in place. Emma's foggy eyes moved slowly to the arms' owner. "Regina?" She wasn't exactly sure she was seeing correctly.

"I'll take her."

She wasn't entirely sure why she was offering this. But then again, she had watched Emma all night and could just feel her pain. Emma liked giving Regina second chances. Maybe it was time Regina started returning the generosity shown to her from this woman. Emma and the bartender looked equally confused but the sheriff didn't object when Regina lifted one of Emma's arms over her own shoulder and the other around her waist.

"I'm not going home." Emma said in the firmest voice she could manage, just as they made it outside. Emma was able to move enough that Regina wasn't straining to hold her, just basically keeping the blonde from falling over. Emma removed the wrist in Regina's grasp and curled her hand around the brunette's shoulder almost casually. Regina blinked a few times before slowly moving her now free hand lightly over Emma's stomach, ready for her to fall in pretty much any direction now.

"Well then where do you suggest we go? Because I can't leave you here. I can take you to the B&B." She suggested and Emma seemed to mule that over for a minute.

"Noooooo cause Ruby will tell my…Mary Margaret. And then she'll come and I'll have to talk to her." Regina sighed but again, she couldn't really blame her. She thought of the options and only found one.

"Then you can stay in one of my guestrooms." She said that much more confidently then she felt.

"Are you sure?" Emma's drunken confused face was comical and Regina barely repressed a chuckle that wanted to escape.

"Yes Miss Swan." She shifted a bit, pulling Emma in a little more tightly and securely and started walking towards her house. Emma turned her face towards Regina's which was now only a few inches away.

"You smell really nice." She said it matter-of-factly and Regina's eyes widened just a bit. Emma saw her surprise and lifted her free hand to cover her face. "Shit, I talk too much when I drink. Don't ask me anything." Regina smirked, realizing Emma basically just handed her a loaded gun.

"And what do I smell like?" Emma smiled, seemingly forgetting what she had literally _just_ said.

"Like apples and cinnamon… Ooooh! Like apple pie!" She added excitedly like she had just cracked a secret code. Regina found herself oddly amused at the behavior and smiled despite herself. "And you're warm." Regina snapped her head to the blonde again.

"Did you think I would be cold?" She had no explanation for continuing a conversation with someone clearly drunk but couldn't seem to help it. To Emma's credit, she seemed to really concentrate on her answer.

"Well I mean to _act_ so cold. But you _feel _soooo warm." Emma pressed further into her and the words ironically made a slight shiver run though Regina's body. They continued the walk in silence for a moment before Emma rubbed her hand over her face again.

"Hey I said don't do that!"

Don't do _what_ dear?" She asked innocently and Emma rolled her eyes so dramatically, she actually swayed a bit, pulling Regina with her.

"Ask me stuff." Regina eyed her for a moment.

"What's your favorite color?"

"Red. Yours is purple and lots of black." Emma said immediately but casually and Regina actually looked a little impressed.

"What's your favorite food?" She asked, no clue as to why she was so amused by all this.

"I used to say grilled cheese until I had your lasagna. Now that's my favorite." Regina smiled smugly. "Will you make me your lasagna Regina?" Such a simple question but it threw the brunette for a moment.

"If you're lucky." The usual confidence was lacking a bit but luckily Emma didn't pick up on it. Regina decided to move on, there was more she wanted to know. "Why do you always run?" She always wanted to know and had even asked once but never received an answer.

"It feels better to run away then to be thrown away." The words were set to the same tune as her favorite color and food. "Plus I was always looking for my family." Regina's eyes stayed on the blonde for several moments in silence. The pair kept a good pace although Emma was unfocused took a few wobbly steps here and there, making the two falter together.

"Is this why you don't want to go home? You don't want your parents asking you things because you might actually give them an honest answer?" Now Emma was eyeing Regina, not appreciating how accurate that statement was.

"Why do you know that?!" She just asked indignantly and Regina smirked.

"Because I am not as blind as your…_lovely _parents." Emma snorted, still able to sense the sarcasm in her state. "So if your mother were to ask you how you were feeling, what would you say?" She knew how Emma felt but was still a bit thrown by the two little words.

"I'm sad." They were spoken as simply and matter-of-factly as her other statements and that realization actually made it all seem worse.

"I…I'm sorry." And she was. Emma looked at her, searching for a lie but found none.

"Thanks." She paused as they continued to move. Regina knew she should just let this all go. Get Emma to the house, put her in bed and be done. She had no explanation for her behavior tonight. Maybe it was just nice to take a break from plotting and revenge.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Drunk Emma always wanted to talk.

"You know, I just thought maybe we would be a family for more than like five minutes. I mean is it really that selfish that after twenty-eight years I could just have them to myself for just a little bit?" Emma kicked at the ground, making them both sway again. Regina tightened her holds and kept them moving forward.

"No dear, it isn't selfish at all." She spoke with only sincerity and even in her inebriated state, Emma was aware of the rarity and gave a small appreciative smile.

They arrived at Regina's doorstep now. She had to be a little creative in her maneuvering, trying to hold Emma with one arm, while unlocking the door with her other hand and leading them inside. Getting up the stairs was difficult but they made it without injury. They arrived at a guest room and Regina helped her sit down on the comfy mattress. Emma didn't question it when Regina started unlacing her boots, just spent the time trying to remove her own jacket. After a few minutes of silence, Emma spoke again, still thinking about her situation.

"You know this has happened before." She gave a short humorless laugh.

"What do you mean?" Regina was confused because that didn't make sense and although alcohol was known to fog up one's mind, Emma had been speaking with clarity. In fact the substance had seemed to be the blonde's personal truth serum.

"I had a family once. But then they had a baby and didn't want me anymore. They just…sent me back."

Regina again felt so unusually empathetic towards Emma. She was startled by the anger that surfaced for a family she didn't even know. That they could do that to an innocent child. _Innocent_. That is what Emma was. Regina liked blaming the blonde for her choices but now she was seeing it. Emma had only been playing the crappy cards she was dealt to the best of her ability.

A pang of guilt shot through her knowing that she was the cause of the woman's life long heart ache. She usually just ignored all that but tonight, seeing up close and personal how this life had been so thoroughly unfair to the blonde, she felt more guilty then she could remember. Also foreign to her was the sudden impulses to protect and comfort the younger woman from further pain.

"You know that's not happening again right?" Emma's wavering gaze landed on Regina, eyeing her curiously. "They want you Emma. They always have. They just…they shouldn't have said it like that. They…well honestly dear they are just idiots sometimes." Emma snorted before letting out a more genuine laugh. The smile on her face stretching all the way and briefly lighting up her eyes. This made a small but real smile form on Regina's face, proud at improving the sheriff's mood a bit. After a minute though, the smile on Emma's face smoothed out until it had completely faded. Regina found herself immediately missing it.

"What is it?" Regina asked gently, feeling oddly compelled to figure out what was wrong so she could bring back the smile. She was trying not to over think her own actions. Emma opened her mouth and closed it again, reconsidering. Now with the boots off, Regina stood and sat down next to Emma on the bed. "You can talk to me. Honestly, who am I going to tell?" She smiled weakly and Emma smiled sympathetically back at her.

"I'm just tired of not being good enough." The words immediately pulled at Regina's heart and she unconsciously leaned a little closer.

"You are the Savior Emma. You were the only one capable of breaking a twenty-eight year long curse. Doesn't that tell you something?" Once again the sincerity caught Emma off guard for a moment but she just wasn't in a proper state of mind to question it all.

"But what does that matter? I was never good enough for a family and that still hasn't changed. Did you see how relieved and happy my parents were to see that they would get a second chance with a new kid? Even Henry. He's got you _and_ me now but that's still not enough. He clings to Neal. A criminal who abandoned me because I'm not enough for him…oh wow." Emma slapped a hand hard over her own face, startling Regina. "I'm sorry." Those words threw her even more.

"What?"

"I'm drunk but even I realize just how painfully ironic that was. I'm sorry for how you must have felt." Now it was Emma's sincerity that was throwing Regina for a loop. The brunette realized she wasn't nearly as angry she might had been at another time.

"Thank you…for saying that." She felt bad because she knew exactly how Emma felt but couldn't deny how nice it was that someone finally understood _her _for a change.

"Probably should have said it sooner." The complete honesty took any remaining anger away from Regina and the brunette found she actually felt lighter. Dare she say happier.

"It's alright dear." They smiled lightly at each other and once again, both bodies leaned a tiny bit closer.

"You do smell really good." Emma grinned a little, and Regina noticed her eyes move over her face, lingering on her lips.

"What are you thinking now?" She asked quietly and again, Emma concentrated on her answer.

"I'm wondering if I kiss you when I'm drunk, am I in trouble when I'm sober?" She asked it in a relatively serious tone and that, mixed the question itself had Regina momentarily faltering. She looked down at Emma's lips briefly before moving back to her eyes.

"What if I said you would be?" Emma stared into Regina's eyes, holding her gaze. She was in that place where she had enough alcohol to lose her filters but not her mind completely. She was braver now though, certainly losing many inhibitions. And she didn't completely understand how they had gotten this close, and Regina's scent was nearly consuming her now, fogging her mind even more. She had just enough clarity to decide that worse case scenario, she could blame it on the alcohol.

"I would say it's worth it." She leaned in and pressed her lips against Regina's. The alcohol was giving her a bit of tunnel vision, so she wasn't thinking it through how odd it was that Regina allowed the contact at all, let alone that she responded. Regina on the other hand, was everywhere. She was in the moment and in her head at the same time. Over thinking back and forth.

She should not be letting this happen...

She's glad it is…

She shouldn't have taken Emma home…

She had no clue how much she missed real company...

She should not have sat with her on the bed…

It had been so long since she had been this close to another...

She should have shot down Emma's question about the kiss…

This was the best kiss she could remember since Daniel…

She was losing control…

She felt oddly lighter about that…

She felt Emma's warm hand on her cheek and her tongue swipe gently across her lips. This entire night Regina was making decisions she couldn't explain. The same could be said when she decided to part her lips.

Regina lifted her hands to the blonde's face and pushed her own tongue into Emma's mouth, using her last ounce of control to take over the kiss. The feeling was beyond anything she could remember. And the weirdest part was that the one word that came to mind was _safe_. She felt safe. And now she was starting to believe _she _was the drunk one.

After a moment and one more thorough swipe of her tongue against Emma's, Regina finally pulled back. Emma's eyes were slow to open and took an extra few seconds to focus on Regina's.

"Whoa. You're good at that." Emma smiled lazily and Regina returned it. "Can we do that again?" She leaned in, but Regina placed her hand firmly on Emma's chest, stopping any further movement.

"You are drunk. You need to sleep." She helped the pouting blonde stand momentarily so she could pull back the covers and then pushed her back down to the bed.

"Wow Regina, pushing me into bed already?" Emma gave a cocky grin and Regina rolled her eyes.

"Hush. Sleep now." She pulled the covers up over Emma.

"Bossy." Emma mumbled as her eyes drifted closed. Regina turned and walked out of the room, a small smile tugging at the corner of her mouth.

* * *

_I am never drinking again_

This was Emma's first thought as her eye's slowly fluttered open against the harsh morning lights. She was facing the window and quickly spun around only to immediately regret the movement. She slammed her eyes closed as a sharp pain shot through her skull and she waited a few moments before opening them again.

When she did, she moved extra slowly. She was a little overwhelmed by the sea of white surrounding her. Nearly everything was perfect pristine white. Before any further exploration, a glorious smell hit her senses and she turned towards the source. Sitting on the bedside table was a steaming cup of coffee, a water bottle and a bottle of aspirin. All of which she was grateful for. A big smile formed on her face picturing Regina creeping into the room to place them there.

She downed half the water bottle with a few pills before going after the coffee, sighing happily. She took extra care in making the bed as perfectly as possible, even fluffing up the pillows. After lacing up her boots, she threw her jacket over her shoulder and grabbed her unfinished coffee, walking to the door. Just as she stepped though it, she heard a loud knocking from below.

* * *

She was growing more and more paranoid by the minute. There was a good chance Emma would wake up with no memory of last night and come running down the stairs in a panic thinking Regina had drugged and kidnapped her. She placed her coffee cup down on the counter to run her fingers through her hair again.

_Oh pull yourself together! Why do you even care?!_

These thoughts kept circulating along with…

_She was honest all night and she kissed YOU! She wanted it!_

She had gone back and forth all night. That kiss had been…_magical_. But then again, Emma had been drinking for hours. Her judgment was questionable at best. She had learned more about Emma in one night then the months they had known one another. She shocked herself by realizing she just wanted to know more now.

As bad as she realized Emma's life probably was, she wanted to know everything about it. She wanted to know about her different homes and the places she had been. The people she had met and the jobs she had held. The simple things she had learned of her favorite color and that her lasagna was now Emma's favorite food gave her an interesting sense of accomplishment. She had actually allowed herself to hope that things might take a new direction but now she was working herself up into a frenzy.

_She was drunk, you can't take any of that seriously._

Before anything else, there was a loud knocking at the front door. Interestingly enough, Regina's first reaction was irritation because this person was going to wake Emma. That increased exponentially when upon opening the door, she was faced with two angry Charmings.

"Where's Emma?" Mary Margaret got straight to the point, crossing her arms.

"Good morning to you too dear." She responded sarcastically, enjoying the clenching of both their jaws. "A little early to be pounding on someone's door, you could wake someone." Her face snowed the level of annoyance she was feeling.

"Where is Emma? Leroy said you _took_ her." David said the word "took" like she really did kidnap Emma. She hoped more than ever the blonde would at least have some idea of the previous night.

"Took me _home. _Now can everyone calm down please." Emma came into view on the stairs, cradling her coffee in both hands. Both parents looked taken aback at the casual demeanor but Regina didn't notice them as her eyes were trained on Emma. "Thank you so much for this." She said sincerely, smiling at Regina before taking another sip. Regina took a deep internal sigh of relief.

"Emma are you okay? Why didn't you come home?" Her mother asked, completely caught off guard by the sight in front of her.

"No my dear, can't you see she's been attacked, poisoned, and cursed?" She gave her best Evil Queen smile but the couple glared back. Emma surprised everyone by placing a gentle hand on Regina's shoulder.

"I'm fine. I drank too much and I didn't want to disturb you both after the…celebration. Regina offered her guestroom." Emma spoke neutrally but Regina knew why she paused before the word celebration and wanted to comfort her again. She also wanted to slap the oblivious idiots occupying her doorway. Both took a good amount of willpower to resist.

"Well…that was awfully…_kind_ of her now let's go." Mary Margaret seemed almost speechless and now Emma was resisting an eye roll. Instead she finished the last sip of coffee and placed the empty mug in Regina's already waiting hand.

"Thank you…for everything last night. Really." She smiled warmly at Regina and the brunette returned it.

"You're welcome." She watched Emma move towards the door her parents had just turned from but paused, looking back to Regina.

"What are you doing today?" The question was unexpected and Regina took a few seconds to respond.

"Um…I'm not sure yet. Why?"

"What do you say we meet for lunch and figure out Henry's schedule? If we're gonna be doing this together we should get a plan. Like we need to decide which days he sleeps here and which ones he's with me." Regina's jaw nearly dropped to the floor, not expecting that at all. She was dying for her son to be back in his room and Emma was going to allow it. She fought back the tears that wanted to escape and just nodded. "Cool so noon at Granny's?"

"That's perfect." She managed to get out successfully.

"Emma?" Mary Margaret called from the walkway, interrupting the moment. Regina nearly growled in irritation. Emma looked back at her mother before spinning back around and taking a step towards Regina, dropping her voice to a whisper.

"So…what's the verdict? I'm sober now, am I in trouble?" She looked expectantly at Regina who was yet again, surprised by the young woman in front of her. A slow smile spread across her face before morphing into a smirk.

"Only if you're late today Miss Swan. I will see you at twelve sharp." Looking over Emma's shoulder and noting both parents were distracted in a heated discussion, she decided to make the bolder move this time and leaned in for very quick but tender kiss right on Emma's lips. Pulling back she relished in the shocked but thrilled look on the Sheriff's face.

Emma stepped onto the porch and heard Regina's chuckle when, in her distraction from the brunette's kiss, Emma stumbled right into one of the big white pillars. She whipped around, tapping the pillar once and continued, hoping beyond anything her parent's didn't question her behavior or the increasing blush on her face. Regina just stood in the doorway, a large smile still covering her face.

**So I'm kind of seeing this as a One Shot.. But if you want to see a continuation, let me know. If enough people are interested, I could probably continue. PLEASE REVIEW**


	2. Chapter 2

**Holy Shit! I have NEVER had so many reviews for a single chapter EVER. I couldn't answer a lot of them because people weren't logged on but it still took me almost all of Breakfast Club to answer the reviews I could. Thank you all so much for your interest. I enjoyed writing this chapter and I really hope you enjoy reading it. Thank you to everyone who followed, favorited and/or reviewed!**

**Also, gonna be keeping this story T rated ;) sorry… Enjoy!**

* * *

_It might not hurt that bad…just a few scrapes and bruises…_

Emma couldn't decide which would be more painful. Continuing this conversation with her parents…or throwing herself out of the moving vehicle. It was a tough one. She wanted to go back to Regina's and couldn't help wish she knew what would have happened if her parents hadn't shown up.

Regina had kissed her. Actually kissed her. Without any liquid courage, Regina had the balls to do that not ten feet from her parents. In fact, the more she thought on it, the more she was dying to get back there.

The gesture of leaving the coffee and aspirin had been the only indication that Regina might not regret the previous night, but still Emma had been nervous. The second the brunette caught her eyes as she came down the steps though, all worries had vanished. The woman had looked so…_hopeful_. Immediately, Emma had sighed in relief and smiled warmly at the woman, thrilled when it was returned.

Now though, she wished maybe they had been just a bit more discreet in front of her parents. It was her mother's voice that pulled her out of her thoughts again.

"Emma? Are you even listening?" Emma blinked to see Mary Margaret turned completely in the passenger seat to face her.

"Yes. But this is ridiculous. Regina wasn't manipulating anything. She was just trying to be nice." Mary Margaret looked at Emma like she had grown two heads.

"Emma I know you have been giving her the benefit of the doubt but honey, we know her better than you. There is always something up her sleeve. She wasn't just being nice. Obviously she was just trying to manipulate you to see Henry more." Emma actually wanted to slap her.

"Why would she do that when I had already told her we would start parenting him together?" Emma was the only one who kept her composure as Mary Margaret gaped and David stopped the car in the middle of the road.

"Emma?! Why would you do that when you finally have him? How could you trust her with him?"

"You're kidding me right? She's still his mom. We both are. It was wrong to just take him away." She felt a sudden load of guilt weigh on her. The more she was thinking about all the decisions made by both of them since her arrival, the more she was realizing how many mistakes were made on _both_ sides. This was one of hers.

"Emma." Mary Margaret had really found her angry mother voice now and Emma actually flinched a little. "This is not okay. We may have allowed her to come yesterday but you can't just go to her house in the middle of the night and you can't let Henry go back to her unsupervised-"

"Stop." Emma held up a hand before unbuckling and getting out of the stopped car, glad she didn't actually have to go through with throwing herself out now. Though at this point she would have. She turned and spoke through David's opened window. "We're not doing this. Did you even notice that I was already drunk when you left last night?" At their silence she gave a small nod. "Well Regina did and instead of leaving me to fend for myself, she stepped in. Even while drinking I know whether someone is being sincere and she was. And regardless of anything, we, Regina and I, are Henry's parents. Not you. You don't get to make the decisions for him. But don't worry, looks like you'll get your _chance_ at your own child soon, and you can control them."

She turned away before the stunned parents had a chance to speak. They spent several moments in silence, trying to absorb the words of their suddenly angry daughter and understand her abrupt departure.

"Okay what the hell just happened?" Was David's last intelligent thought.

* * *

Part of Emma felt a little childish, yelling her parents and storming away like that. Then again, the bigger part of her was happy with herself for standing up even just a little. They couldn't choose when and _if_ they wanted to parent her and especially not Henry. They were so stuck thinking everything was black and white. Right or wrong.

Suddenly she laughed out loud. Regina had ignored her and Emma's past to help her last night. She couldn't help be amused that the Evil Queen was being more opened minded then the "good" Snow White and Prince Charming. She still had an easy smile on her face as she entered the station for work.

That smiled disappeared immediately though when she saw the mountain load of paperwork that needed to be completed before lunch. She got moving quickly though because there was no way in hell she was gonna be late to Granny's.

* * *

_I can't believe I did that!_

Regina was pacing the length of her foyer, her fingers lightly grazing her lips. She had watched the family drive away before going inside and closing the door, but that was when the shock set in.

She just kissed Emma! Without a single thought or drop of alcohol she had kissed Emma Swan. The Savior. The White Knight. The daughter of her number one nemesis. That last thought actually made a small smile pull at her mouth.

_Oh the look on her face if she would have seen…_

Regina laughed out loud at the thought. Turning, she caught her reflection in the hall mirror. It was new, replaced after breaking the last one. She paused at the foreign look on her own face. How long it had been since she had a real smile on her face. How long since she had laughed. Well it had been awhile.

She couldn't wipe it off either. Emma's clumsy nature usually annoyed her to no end, but the way the blonde had stumbled out of the door so awkwardly, bumping into the pillar and trying to shrug it off coolly was suddenly amusing, if not endearing. Knowing she had been the cause of her disorientation brought a smug grin to her face.

She moved outside to her apple tree, intent on occupying herself for the next few hours.

* * *

_Shit!_

She was actually running now. She was done with all the paper work right on time but of course just as she was steeping out, the phone rang and although she ended the conversation quickly, the moment she placed it back on the receiver, it rang again. She felt like the office itself had been trying to hold her there. After the last call she had sprinted out of there as fast as she could.

She couldn't find a parking spot close enough, so she left the car where she could and ran the rest of the way to the diner. Reaching the door, she glanced down at her watch. Twelve noon on the dot.

"Nice!" She said proudly with a large grin.

"I am shocked Sheriff, I had no clue you could keep time." Emma whipped around to see a very amused smirk on Regina's face. The brunette was just casually sitting in one of the outside chairs, one exposed slender leg resting over the other.

The blonde immediately recognized the dress from the first day they met. Emma swallowed hard at the sight, wondering how she could so effortlessly look that sexy. She had no idea Regina had gone through every outfit in her closet to find the perfect one that would keep the blonde's focus solely on her. She stood with a smirk walking right into Emma's space.

"Cat got your tongue dear?" It was practically purred in Emma's ear and she shivered when Regina brushed by her and into the diner. Emma rolled her eyes. _Two can play this game. _She smirked.

Emma followed Regina to the booth placed as far back as possible and offering the most privacy. They sat opposite each other and immediately their eyes locked. This certainly wasn't their first stare down, but it was the first time the atmosphere was somewhat playful. Emma subtly moved one foot towards Regina's part of the table and without warning, slid the toe of her boot up Regina's bare calf.

Regina gasped slightly as her whole body flinched at the unexpected contact. She looked at Emma to see a small, subtle smirk on her face. Emma just picked up her menu casually, studying the options. Whatever game they were playing, Emma just won this round and they both knew it.

The next few minutes were in compete silence though words simply were not needed. They communicated through every flick of eyes, twitch of lips or tap of fingers. They were used to this kind of exchange but now there was a new thrill to it. An excitement both could feel in the space between them. For those moments, it was like they were the only two in the world. Until-

"Is everything okay here?" Ruby's sudden presence completely grounded the electricity in the air and Regina turned her dark eyes slowly to the young woman.

"Everything is fine _dear_." She didn't hide her sneer and Ruby looked over to Emma for confirmation.

"We're fine Ruby. Can we just get our usuals?" The younger brunette didn't look completely convinced, but after another suspicious look at Regina, she left. The former queen rolled her eyes before meeting Emma's again.

"That's getting old." She mumbled and Emma looked a little sympathetic but didn't respond to that. She felt bad but at the same time, she couldn't really blame people for being a little apprehensive around the woman who cursed them.

"Alright so, about Henry." She started and Regina immediately forgot everything else.

* * *

Less than an hour later, the two had finished eating and Regina sipped her coffee, staring as Emma licked the whipped cream from her cocoa. They had come to a simple agreement of trading every other week with Henry, acknowledging the fact that they could resolve individual situations as they presented. They kept in easy conversation after that, something both of them were equally surprised and pleased with.

"So is this all going to cause problems with the rest of your family?" She was curious as to what happened after the blonde's departure with her shocked parents that morning, but wasn't sure how much Emma would want to share in the light of day.

"Oh I'm sure it will. We already got into it this morning actually."

"Oh? I didn't realize you were still drunk when you left." She smirked and Emma glared though there was no malice behind it.

"I wasn't. They just decided to have a parenting moment that included you and Henry and I had enough." Emma didn't meet Regina's gaze, so she missed the small subtle look of pride in her eyes.

"Well I'm glad you can actually be honest without the aid of alcohol." She brought the smirk back and Emma rolled her eyes.

"Hey. We all have our thing. How do you act when you drink?"

"I _always_ stay in control of my mind and body." She lifted her chin confidently but now it was Emma's turn to smirk.

"Yeah okay. We'll see about that." She leaned back casually and Regina lifted an eyebrow.

"We will?"

"Yup." Regina cocked her head, waiting for more, but Emma was still just relaxing casually, sipping her drink.

"When and how exactly are _we_ going to "see about that"?" She questioned the suddenly aloof sheriff.

"Tonight. I'll bring Henry over. The three of us can have dinner together." Regina's interest peaked and there was a weird feeling that temporarily overcame her at the thought of the three of them together. It had never even been considered in the past but the thought of it…of them acting like some sort of makeshift family. It was…thrilling.

"Together?"

"Yes. It will give Henry a chance to adjust a bit. See us parenting him together…as a team." She spoke with only confidence and that shifted Regina's attitude back into place.

"You just want me to make you my lasagna." Regina smirked smugly and Emma laughed genuinely. Neither woman noticed the several sets of eyes straining to see them, all showing varying degrees of confusion.

"Well there's that as well." She winked.

"But that still doesn't answer my question."

"Well after Henry goes to bed I'm sure you'll offer me a cup on your famous cider and I guess from there…we'll see." Emma laid her arms on the table while locking eyes with Regina.

"You know you are awfully cocky Miss Swan. I'm not sure where you get off speaking like this." Emma grinned at her.

"Well it's easy now that I know you like me."

"Do I? I don't remember _ever_ saying such a thing."

"Oh _please_ Regina. You took me home, put me in bed and cured my hangover this morning. Plus you've been playing footsies with me under the table for the last hour _and_ you haven't moved your arm yet."

Regina glanced down at the table to where Emma had reached over and started grazing her fingertips lightly over Regina's forearm. She looked up, relieved their spot kept that hidden. But…she still didn't move. She was however, getting tired of Emma gaining all the points here.

She lifted her free hand and slowly traced her own fingers up Emma's arm all the way to her collar. She curled her fingers around the leather, pulling her closer. Regina matched the movement until they were only a few centimeters apart. Both sets of eyes darkened a bit as they breathed each other in.

"Seven pm Miss Swan. I will expect you on time again tonight." She leaned in a little closer, inhaling deeply. _Chocolate and cinnamon. Of course._

Emma moved forward again in an attempt at closing the distance, but just as the barest hint of the skin touched, Regina pulled back with a smirk and stood. She kept eye contact with the slack jawed and now very frustrated blonde as she stood before walking with her head held high straight out of the diner.

"So bossy." Emma muttered irritatingly.

* * *

"Okay so let me get this straight. You are just taking him back to her and leaving him for an entire week?" When Emma nodded, Neal looked to the rest of the room where Mary Margaret and David matched his disbelieving expression. They however, were a little weary of jumping in again. "I don't know if I'm okay with this."

Emma rolled her eyes. She had known what he would say so she wasn't shocked. Just annoyed that everyone felt they had the right to make her decisions. She knew there was a little hypocrisy in leaving him out of parenting when she herself was included. However, being abandoned by him when she needed him most did a number on her that she couldn't overlook.

"Sorry but the decision has been made. Even Henry is interested in giving this a try." She was actually really proud and relieved that it hadn't taken much convincing to get him to agree to dinner and a week. That was all she was asking right now. That he spend the evening with both of them and stay in his old room with Regina for the next week. If he was truly unhappy, they could look at other options. Yet again, she was amazed at who was being open minded and who wasn't.

"I'm his father. I want a vote here." Emma felt her irritation rise now. She had been repressing her anger about him, but the man had only known Henry for a matter of days and actually thought he had the right to be a father all the sudden.

Even though she had taken Henry, the final decisions were not on a whim. She had spent months learning about Henry and Regina. With the way Regina had treated her and everyone, she still believes she had every reason to be concerned at the time. But things were different now that everything was being laid out. She was seeing Regina for who she really was. Henry's mother. That _fact _could not be ignored anymore.

"You know what? If you hadn't left me completely alone so I had no chance of raising a baby, I might not have had to give him up and then just maybe, you would get a vote in how he's raised. But you made that decision and so now, you don't get any more." She turned around and jogged up the stairs, deciding it was time for her and Henry to leave.

_Damn maybe Regina was right. Maybe I am drunk. I'm never this honest on purpose. _

"Hey kid, ready to go?" She leaned into the room to see the boy combing his hair down into place. "You look nice." He was dressed in a button shirt with a sweater over it. She realized it was just how he'd always dressed before.

"Thanks. I know Mom always complains when I look messy." He shrugged nonchalantly but Emma saw a small blush. She walked behind him in the mirror and placed her hands on his shoulders, squeezing comfortingly.

"Kid you could walk in there caked with mud and she would still be thrilled to see you. Trust me on that." She smiled at him and he returned it.

"I heard everyone arguing again. They're mad I'm going to stay with her aren't they?"

"Yes. But that's just because everyone loves you and wants to make sure you're safe."

"But she wouldn't hurt me."

"You don't have to convince me." She laughed but Henry furrowed his brow as he turned to face her.

"Why?"

"What?" She asked confused.

"I thought you didn't trust her. What changed?" She stopped for a moment, carefully choosing her words.

"_She_ did. She has been trying _so_ hard. And I'm really starting to see that "Evil" was just a label added to her name. She did do some evil things." She paused, putting her hands on his shoulders again. "But she did some really good things too." She lifted a finger to tap Henry's chin. He smiled, understanding. The pair headed out and both choose to ignore the disapproving looks on everyone's faces.

* * *

_Perfect_

Regina smiled as she pulled the lasagna from the oven before moving it onto the perfectly set dining room table. She looked at her watch for the hundredth time and seeing that it was just about seven, she moved quickly to the front door. Using the hall mirror, she ran her fingers through her hair several times nervously.

A huge smile overtook her face as she heard a car pull up. She had the door opened before the two had even exited the car. When Henry came into view, his backpack slung easily over his shoulder, she could have cried on the spot. Instead she kept calm and smiled warmly at her son and his birth mother.

"Hey Mom." He spoke like everything was completely normal which was surprising enough, but when he leaned in for a quick hug, Regina almost lost it again.

The dinner went more smoothly than anyone predicted. Henry was happy that his brunette mother was, for the first time, not so defensive or uptight. He was confused but pleased at the interactions between her and Emma. There were no angry or offensive comments. Just casual conversations about school and work. He decided that if they were both willing to try, he could to. He was also starting to realize he missed his mother, though he wouldn't admit that out loud.

* * *

After dinner, Henry did his homework while both mothers handled the dishes together. Regina poured them both a glass of cider but Emma was sure to pace herself tonight. By the time Henry had gone to bed, Emma was just starting her second drink.

When Regina came back down the stairs, obviously in a good mood, she moved right back to the living room where Emma had made herself at home and poured another drink. Afterwards, she walked to the blonde and sat down right next to her.

Regina laid her hand on Emma's thigh, squeezing lightly. Immediately Emma felt an electric like pulse of energy shoot through her whole body. Regina smiled lazily as she started brushing her thumb back and forth in a consistent pattern.

_So she's handsy when she drinks_

Emma smiled at the knowledge. She could certainly get used to Regina's hands on her. No one hand ever caused such an immediate reaction as this women and Emma didn't want it to stop.

"Miss Swan, you're behind." Regina looked pointedly at Emma's glass, still halfway full. Regina took one long swig to finish hers, putting her one and a half drinks ahead. Emma smiled before lifting her own, and downing it all at once. She didn't want to feel like she was just getting Regina drunk.

"Better?" She said and Regina nodded. Emma stood, reluctantly moving from Regina's grasp, and took both glasses for refills. She actually had to concentrate on her steps, already feeling the buzz from just a few of Regina's drinks. They were certainly strong. She shook her head like she could actually shake away the slight haze.

"Already feeling it are we?" Emma jumped a little, startled when Regina's voice was suddenly right at her ear. Emma laughed nervously, causing an immediate smirk on Regina's face.

The blonde shivered as she felt Regina's warm breath on her ear. She unconsciously leaned back towards the source and was rewarded when gentle fingers grazed over her neck before trailing down her back leaving goose bumps in their wake. She bit her lip as Regina's hand came to a rest over the curve of her ass.

"Seems I'm not the only one." Emma's voice wavered just a bit, but not from the alcohol.

"Well I am feeling _something_." She punctuated the words with a firm squeeze of her hand and mentally congratulated herself when Emma gasped lightly.

_Damn it I think she's winning_

The smirk on Regina's face said she was thinking the exact same thing. Well Emma was never one to give up so easily.

"You still smell so good Regina." She turned in the tight space between the brunette and the table and without any preamble, leaned forward and kissed the side of Regina's neck, bringing out her tongue to lightly graze the warm flesh. She moved all the way until she could whisper directly in Regina's ear. "But you taste even better." Emma felt the shiver run through the older woman and grinned smugly before turning and walking casually back to the couch.

Regina remained motionless for a few seconds before taking a deep breath. She picked up her newly filled glass Emma had left on the table and took a nice long sip, enjoying the burning sensation and regaining any lost confidence almost immediately.

"Miss Swan what am I going to do with you?" She carried her glass as she sauntered over to the blonde, adding an extra sway to her step that, according to the look on Emma's face, did not go unappreciated.

_Lots of things I hope _

Emma stared up at Regina who was smiling devilishly over her. Regina raked her eyes over the sheriff and Emma had to swallow hard, her mouth suddenly watering at this image. Regina took another long sip before turning and placing the cup on the coffee table. Spinning back around, it was then that she pounced.

Emma's eyebrows shot up when Regina moved forward suddenly right onto her lap, placing a knee on either side of the blonde's thighs to straddle her. She took Emma's face in her hands and didn't hesitate at all before placing a firm kiss on her lips. Pulling back, Regina let out a small chuckle at Emma's stunned expression.

"So much for staying in complete control of your mind and body." Emma recovered enough to speak and Regina raised an eye brow.

"Oh trust me Miss Swan." Regina started while leaning up, using a hand to wrap around Emma's chin and tilt her head up to meet her eyes. "I am in _complete_ control." She immediately closed the small distance, pressing her lips hard against Emma's again but this time, slipping her tongue easily into the distracted blonde's mouth.

When Regina pressed her whole body into Emma's while pushing her tongue in as far as possible, the sheriff didn't know if she had ever felt something so erotic. An involuntary moan escaped her much to the brunette's excitement, who was hoping to elicit more sounds like it. She moved her free hand to the back of Emma's head, weaving her fingers though the blonde tresses.

Emma could hardly concentrate but her body was responding automatically. She moved her hands slowly up Regina's thighs until she reached behind and pulled the brunette into her even harder. She couldn't resist letting her hands cup and squeeze the perfectly firm ass she continued holding Regina as close as humanly possible.

They continued like this for several moments. Both getting completely lost in each other. Both giving and taking, molding together, bodies moving in tandem. Neither had felt so close to another in a long time and it wasn't just the physical aspect. Both had been lonely for so long, being this close was an incredible comfort they didn't want to lose.

So you can only imagine the complete irritation when Emma's phone went off loudly in her pocket. Emma recognized the ring tone immediately and reached towards the device with a scowl in place.

"Don't. Just leave it." Regina said and Emma heard a hint of desperation in her tone. She wanted this as badly as Emma did. With that realization, she looked up sympathetically at the brunette.

"I have to answer her. Trust me, if I don't they will probably show up with torches and pitch forks." She gave a sideways smile and Regina rolled her eyes but without any real annoyance. Emma opened the phone.

"Hey Mary Margaret…I'm fine…He's fine…Yes I'm sure…I know…I don't know when I'm gonna be home…"

Regina rolled her eyes again, irritated Mary Margaret was once again there to step on her happiness. She wasn't ready for Emma to leave but didn't know how to say it.

"Because I'm with someone…Yes, like a date..." Regina snapped her eyes to the blonde but Emma didn't meet her gaze. "…Don't wait up, I'll talk to you later." With that Emma hung up. She cleared her throat and reached for her drink before finally looking at Regina.

Regina didn't know what to say. She wanted to know if Emma was just making up a story to cover herself or if this all really meant something to her. She wanted to know if the blonde was feeling any of the things she was. Most of all, she really didn't want Emma to leave. Regina had decided on her own though that she wasn't going to force anyone to be with her ever again. She decided to give Emma an out.

"Need to get home to Mommy and Daddy? I guess it is getting late." Regina casually looked at her watch, not noticing Emma's expression. Just as the Regina shifted to move off her lap though, Emma wrapped her arm around her waist, stopping the move. Regina met her eyes hesitantly.

"I don't wanna go." Emma whispered it before looking away shyly, missing the surprised look on Regina's face. "I don't want to be alone tonight. I don't feel so lonely with you."

Maybe it was the alcohol making her talk again because Emma was surprised she actually said such a thing out loud. She still couldn't look up, feeling embarrassed now. It wasn't until Regina very slowly and carefully lifted Emma's chin again that they finally locked eyes.

"I don't want you to leave. I don't feel so lonely with you either." Her smile was only warm and kind and Emma immediately felt like some physical weight had been lifted off her.

She leaned in and very tenderly pressed her lips to Regina's. This kiss was much more gentle than their last but somehow took their breath even faster. When they separated lips, they kept their foreheads together, just taking a few more seconds to enjoy the closeness and comfort of the other. They were both still breathing deep, inhaling the intoxicating essence of the other and in result, forgetting every negative stress in their lives and living only in this moment.

Eventually Regina stood, but she immediately reached back for Emma. The blonde happily wrapped her hand in Regina's, finding immeasurable comfort when their fingers intertwined, fitting perfectly. As they ascended the steps, both women smiled at the possibility that they might not be faced with another lonely night.

**So once again this is a good stopping place. And once again, i see potential for a continuation if you believe it deserves another chapter. So PLEASE review and let me know what you thought about this chapter and if you'd be interested in more. Thanks so much for reading!**


	3. Chapter 3

"Shhhh!"

"Do not shhh me!" Regina attempted to stomp her foot indignantly, but in the tight space they were currently occupying, her foot landed on the edge of some unknown object. In consequence, the brunette started to slip and Emma barely grabbed her in time, not able to suppress her laughter at Regina's little outburst.

"What are you five?!" Emma said still laughing, not able to see Regina's glare in the darkness.

"I could say the same thing. Stop laughing at me!" She whispered angrily and Emma pressed her mouth into Regina's shoulder in an attempt to quiet herself. Her body kept convulsing though and after a moment, Regina couldn't stop the grin from forming on her own face and a few small chuckles from escaping her lips.

"Sorry beautiful." Emma whispered in Regina's ear, turning the brunette's grin into a warmer smile. Emma placed a soft kiss there and an instant surge of comfort and contentment swept though Regina's body.

Anyone could tell you Emma wasn't the most gentle or tender woman in the world, but Regina was fortunate enough to both see and experience that side of her. This was something Regina was certainly aware of and never took the small gestures for granted.

"It's okay darling but do you think maybe we could come out now?" Emma laughed lightly before leaning back a little.

"Hold on, let me check." Emma pressed her ear against the door. They had distinctly heard someone enter the station and immediately hid, but now everything was quiet. She could only hope that whoever had stopped in and interrupted their afternoon "meeting" was long gone now. "Okay I think we're good."

Emma faced straight towards the door and Regina was right at her back, hands on the blonde's waist. Just as Emma was pushing the door open, they started walking through. The lingering smiles on their faces dropped almost immediately when they spotted Ruby perched on the desk, leaning back with her legs crossed casually.

"Yes Emma, maybe you two can _come out _now." Ruby started laughing at her own joke which only increased as the two women literally came out of the closet together.

"Ruby?! What are you doing here?" Emma's voice squeaked and Ruby just shook her head in amusement.

"Just testing some theories."

"Theories?" Regina still hadn't moved from the safety of her knight.

"Theories about why the very health conscious former queen has been consistently ordering grilled cheese sandwiches with fries every Wednesday for months now." She looked pointedly at the half eaten meal that had been quickly abandoned when the two women had felt the need to sate a very different hunger.

"Theories about why Emma has still not introduced her mystery man or woman that she is _apparently_ dating to anyone yet. Theories as to why _both_ of you look dead but have these stupid grins on your faces every single Monday morning, which just so happens to be the morning after you two trade Henry back to the other. Theories as to how-"

"Okay okay we get it, you figured it out." Emma cut in, moving a hand to rub over her face.

"Hey now, I've been working on this list for awhile." She laughed again and Emma turned slowly to catch Regina's worried eyes.

They had talked about being more careful, but the longer they carried this out, the more comfortable they had become and less cautious. Both were suddenly worried of the consequences of their reckless actions.

"How long have you known?" Emma looked back at the young, seemingly careless brunette.

"That you two had a thing for each other? Well I've known that since the day you two met. But since you started acting on it? I suspect that was after Mary Margaret announced her little bun in the oven. Neither one of you were subtle the next day. I just started paying attention since then and the last couple months especially you two have been getting lazy."

Despite knowing all of this for so long, seeing the way Emma took Regina's waiting hand so easily was a sight that surprised her for a second. They fit together.

"I don't think anyone else knows." Regina said and Ruby blinked out of her sudden distraction.

"Maybe, but Mary Margaret and David are bound to put it together at some point, if they haven't already." Emma let out a single humorless laugh.

"They haven't and they definitely won't." Ruby didn't miss it when Regina squeezed Emma's hand before rubbing her thumb back and forth soothingly. "The baby's due in like three weeks. Mary Margaret can't hold a conversation that doesn't revolve around her little girl."

Emma hated that stupid pang that shot through her every time she thought of the new baby. She tried to control her tone though, hoping that Ruby didn't pick up on her inner struggle. Regina was the only one who had always known and Emma was fine keeping it that way. The sympathetic look on Ruby's face though said she did.

"Well you can't keep it a secret forever."

"We'll be more careful." Regina said confidently but Ruby shook her head.

"Why? I mean at this point will it really be that huge of a deal? Plus like you just said, Mary Margaret and David will be preoccupied." She had a valid point but Regina stood her ground.

"Every time I have gotten close to a happy ending, it has been ripped away. I'm not willing to risk losing everything I have now."

When she finished, Emma removed her hand only to slide it around Regina's shoulders and pull her into a hug. Regina leaned into her and pressed her eyes closed momentarily, surprising Ruby yet again at their uncharacteristic display of tenderness. Emma kept Regina close as she pulled back enough to speak to her.

"Nothing is getting taken away from you. Not again." Emma said it quietly but with total confidence. However, Regina just gave her a sad smile.

"That is the one constant in my life Emma. I have always lost everything I love." They both realized what had just been said at the same time. They hadn't used that word yet and after is was spoken aloud, both women locked eyes. Just as Emma was opening her mouth to respond, the station's front door was heard opening.

It was like a practiced performance, the way the two pulled apart quickly. Regina's whole body straightened as her expression turned neutral and uninterested. Emma crossed her arms and leaned against the doorway casually but looking bored as well. As soon as both were in place and Ruby managed to wipe the astonishment off her face, David rounded the corner.

"What's going on?" Despite all these months of peace, David never relaxed around Regina and eyed her skeptically.

"Nothing, just discussing some stuff about Henry." This was her go to answer every time they were caught together. Emma had made it abundantly clear that no one else was allowed to give their input on his parenting decisions and so people wouldn't question them unless they were looking for a fight.

Once again it seemed to work perfectly as David just nodded. He did however give Regina enough suspicious and almost glaring looks that the brunette finally sighed and turned to leave.

"We will finish this later Miss Swan." Regina spun on her heel and walked straight from the room. Just as she turned the corner though, she shot one last very quick glance at Emma.

When Regina was gone from sight, Ruby looked back at Emma to see her lingering glance at the doorway. She also didn't miss the way her jaw clenched slightly as she turned to her father before relaxing again and morphing into a pseudo smile. Ruby had prided herself on her observation skills but right now, she was realizing just how many subtle things everyone was missing right under their noses.

Ruby politely excused herself, and headed back to the diner. Once inside, she spotted the face she was looking for and sat opposite them.

"So I was right wasn't I?"

"Yeah." Ruby laughed. "You were right. So when are you gonna tell them you know?"

"I want them to tell me. I'm tired of them lying to me."

"I don't know if that's going to happen anytime soon. You should have seen how terrified they were to think they were outed. I thought Emma was gonna pass out when she saw me." She looked sadly across the table.

"But they're so much happier together."

"I know but Regina's afraid that if they were found out, she would lose everything. I'm impressed but definitely a little surprised you're so okay with all this."

"It took awhile. I think I was kind of mad at first because they were hiding it from me. But I hear what everyone says about all of us so I get why they would be afraid. And I just like seeing them both so happy all the time. They have both changed so much. I like them together. I like all of us together…as a family."

"Henry, you are far more mature then most adults here."

* * *

"We should do these more often." Henry said, digging into his apple turnover.

"What do you mean sweetheart? The desert?" Regina and Emma watched in amusement as Henry devoured the last piece.

"No I mean these dinners, when we're all together. We should do them more then just on Sunday nights." The women met each others eyes briefly, neither knowing quite how to respond.

"Yes well perhaps we could look into it. But right now it's time for you to get ready for bed so say goodnight to Miss Swan." Henry looked a little annoyed at the response. He had spent the last few days trying to find ways to bring them all together, but everything was brushed off.

"Good night Emma." He ran over to give her a quick hug before bounding up the stairs to his room.

Like always, Emma helped Regina clear the dishes from the table before cleaning them up in the kitchen. This time though, Regina didn't go get them drinks.

"We need to talk." Emma didn't turn right away, immediately tensing at those words. Regina hadn't wanted to meet over the last couple days and Emma worried that the brunette's paranoia would only grow more. Slowly she faced Regina, but kept her eyes on the glass she was drying.

"What's up?" She kept her tone casual, still not looking up.

"I think maybe…for the sake of not being caught…we should take a little break." Emma eyes snapped up and widened immediately. She placed the glass down carefully.

"You don't wanna see me?" It was soft and sounded so sad Regina's heart clenched immediately. She grabbed Emma's hands and waited until she met her eyes.

"Of course I _want_ to see you. I want to see you everyday." The complete truth of that statement surprised Regina herself. She was happy though to get a soft smile in response.

"So we'll just be a little more discreet." She sounded so young and Regina squeezed her hands before speaking gently.

"I think we need to skip a few visits. Just a couple days. We have developed too clean of a routine and people can too easily take notice."

"But no one is paying attention!" She knew how childish she sounded but couldn't care less.

"Emma." Regina was using her authoritative voice that Emma always had a hard time working around. "Ruby was. And the reality is that if she hadn't come in when she did, David would have been the one who walked in. Look I just need to be sure no one else suspects. So no breakfast tomorrow, no lunch Wednesday and no sneaking in at night."

"I don't like this." Emma muttered, sticking her lip out in a very childish pout and Regina rolled her eyes.

"It's one week. I will see you next Sunday."

"What I have to leave now?!" Emma stomped after Regina who was moving straight for the front door.

"It would probably help us if you weren't here for hours and hours. I'm sorry." They made it to the door and Emma stepped though, turning to face Regina.

"Well can I at least get a kiss?" Regina turned her head each direction to ensure the coast was clear before leaning in and pressing their lips together. It was short but they made it count by immediately parting their lips to get a good last taste of each other.

Regina could hardly bare to watch Emma leave but she knew that this would be best for them. If they were outed, the Charmings would be sure to have plenty to say. At the worst, they would find a way to take Emma and Henry from her. At the best they would keep harassing Emma over the matter until she had to give in or leave her parents.

Regina couldn't stand them and thought them some of the most oblivious idiots in this realm but still, she would never wish Emma the pain of losing them. Emma had already missed twenty eight years because of her. She wouldn't let that happen again. One thing was for sure though. Tonight would be a lonely night.

* * *

Well Emma was not surviving the week. She wanted to see Regina. Needed to. It was Friday now and the longest time they had been apart since their first night together. Since this was her week without Henry, she was staying later and later at the station, hoping to be tired enough that once she was home, she would be able to fall into bed and be asleep before she could miss Regina again.

Today, she had finished all her work in the morning and spent the entire afternoon patrolling. By the evening, there was absolutely nothing left to do. Reluctantly she decided to head home. Walking in the door, she spotted David sitting at the table and Mary Margaret waddling over to join him. Judging by the expressions on their faces, she could tell they were in a talking kind of mood but hoped she could make a quick escape upstairs.

"Emma, sweetie can you talk to us for a few minutes?"

_Ah crap_

"Yeah sure." Emma sat down opposite them, taking a deep breath to prepare herself.

_Relax Emma! There is no way they figured it out!_

"There something we have noticed and it needs to be addressed."

_Oh wow, they really did. _

Emma actually felt a little impressed that they had managed to pay attention to something not pertaining to the baby. She knew how much Regina thought they needed to keep all of this a secret but maybe things could work out if everything was out in the open.

"Noticed what?" She tried to sound casual, not wanting her nerves to sound in her voice.

"Well honey we have just been noticing that four people in this little apartment is already pretty tight." Emma knit her eyebrows. "It's just that, with the baby coming, we're not sure if all five of us are going to be able to live together anymore."

_Oh my God_

"Now don't get us wrong, we love having you both here. But you're almost thirty and Henry is almost a teenager. We just think it may be time for you and him to get another place of your own." She spoke in her usual sweet tone and Emma could feel her cheeks burning.

"Yeah…okay." Emma just wanted to run out of there. Well she really wanted to smack the stupid smiles off their faces and _then_ run away. This was the first place she had ever considered a real home and now, just like every other family she had been with, they were asking her to leave. "You know I'm supposed to meet someone so maybe we can discuss this some other time." She stood quickly and moved towards the door.

"When are we going to meet this mystery date of yours?" Mary Margaret, sensing none of the tension that was building rapidly in her own daughter, spoke in her chipper tone only increasing Emma's anger.

"If my vote counts then very soon." Was all Emma said as she moved quickly out of the apartment. She knew beyond any doubt that if she had had even one drink, she would have told them everything on the spot. But she was unfortunately completely sober and more than aware that it would be insensitive to Regina's feelings to tell them about their relationship without her okay first.

She decided to walk, knowing where she was going and that it would be best if she didn't have access to a car. She sat at the counter and ordered a strong drink without any hesitation. She didn't like this feeling and wanted it gone now.

She knew where she _really _wanted to be right now but Regina had wanted a week. She was really trying to give her that much, but with each drink, the desire to be with the one person who made her feel better was winning out. Regina was the only real cure for her loneliness.

The more she drank, the more honest she was getting with herself. She didn't just want Regina, she needed her. She lo…well she felt really strongly for Regina. At that realization, Emma popped off the stool, luckily still able to control her legs…for the most part that is.

She walked quickly towards the mansion, not second guessing her decision for a minute. She needed Regina right now. She needed her and Henry. Her real family. Walking up, she was relieved to see the downstairs light on. She knocked quietly, aware that Henry was probably sleeping, but not wanting to use the hidden key and scare Regina who wasn't expecting her. When the door opened, Emma knew Regina was definitely not expecting her.

"Emma, what are you doing here? I told you we… " She stopped when she took in the look on Emma's face. "Wait what's wrong, are you okay?" She stepped closer to Emma, automatically lifting a hand to her cheek. She could see the flush there and feel the heat of her skin.

"Can I come in?" It was definitely her tone that caught Regina's attention. It was small and sad and she immediately thought of the Charmings and what they might have done.

"Of course." She didn't hesitate. Something was clearly wrong so right now, nothing else mattered. She just pulled Emma by the hand into the house and up to her bedroom.

* * *

For the first few minutes, neither spoke. Regina could tell by the flushed cheeks just slightly withdrawn eyes that Emma had been drinking so it wouldn't take much for her to start sharing. She gently helped Emma out of her clothing before getting in bed, beckoning the blonde forward with her out stretched arms.

Emma stood just for the briefest moment, looking at Regina waiting for her. With a relieved looking smile, Emma crawled into bed and moved right into Regina's arms, laying her head on the brunette's chest. Emma sighed as Regina started weaving gentle fingers through her hair.

Regina hated that something had obviously upset Emma, but loved the comfort of having her here with her. In these moments when they laid together, secured in each other's arms, Regina always felt the safest. Emma belonged here and Regina selfishly wanted to keep her there all the time.

"They asked me to leave." The words were soft but Regina caught them.

"What do you mean?"

"They said something about how with the new baby that there wouldn't be room. That it was getting time that I found my own place." It was probably best that Emma didn't see the expression that crossed Regina's face. The look of total disgust and hatred would not have been soothing.

Instead, she burrowed further into Regina, taking comfort from her warmth and the beat of her heart under Emma's ear. The drinks had created enough of a haze that she didn't notice the abnormally fast and hard rhythm that started after her words hit Regina's ears.

"They asked you…to go." It wasn't so much a question to Emma, as a statement that Regina was trying to work through.

_Those stupid selfish!_

"Yeah…just like every other family. I know you didn't want me to come over but please don't ask me to leave. I can't go home…I don't have one." Emma's voice was fading and her eyes were fluttering as the alcohol was taking effect.

"Regina actually felt like her heart was breaking and held Emma tighter against her body, trying to convey the feelings she couldn't put into words. She knew Emma was starting to slip into sleep so she leaned her head to whisper directly into the blonde's ear.

"You do now."

* * *

Regina tried to ignore the irritating sound emanating from somewhere nearby. She was much too comfortable in her current position, snuggled up under the covers, Emma's body still wrapped around her.

They didn't normally wake up like this. Usually Emma would be up early enough to beat the sun, which was definitely not going to be the case today as Regina could already feel the warm rays on her face. A small smile began to pull at her lips though, the comfort and happiness massively over powering the worries and doubts.

The annoying sound started up again and Regina finally opened her eyes, her features showing her irritation. She leaned up, looking around before she cleared through the haze in her mind and identified the source.

The ringing was muffled due to the fact that Emma's phone was still in her jeans laid out on a nearby chair. So it took a few seconds but then Regina realized with a scowl who's ring tone that belonged to. But then that scowl turned into a smirk.

Very slowly and carefully, Regina started extricating herself from Emma. She almost got completely free without incident. But then just as her warmth had completely left the blonde, Emma shot a hand out blindly, not awake enough to understand what was happening, just that her comfort was slipping away. She wrapped her hands around the bottom of Regina's shirt in an attempt at pulling the woman back to her.

"Hungga." Emma mumbled the incomprehensible sound and pulled again. Regina fell back into the bed but she couldn't be annoyed. As she pried Emma's hand open, the blonde's eyes started fluttering a bit. "Hmmm Gina stay." Regina leaned over her, placing a kiss on Emma's forehead.

"Go back to sleep, I'll be right back." She tried to move, but still Emma wasn't having it.

"I wanna go too." Emma started to lean up but Regina placed a hand on her chest and pushed her back down.

"Stay. I will be right back, I promise." She brought the comforter back up and tucked it around the blonde, already drifting off again.

"So bossy." She mumbled, bringing a smile to Regina's face again.

The phone started up again and Regina snatched it from Emma's pants, opening it to stop the noise. She waited until she was out of the bedroom and down the hall out of ear shot before she answered it.

"Good morning Mary Margaret." Regina sounded nothing but sweet though her face showed a wicked smile. There was a long pause where she knew the pixie cut brunette was shaking her head in confusion.

"Regina?"

"Yes dear what do you need it's early?"

"I…but…this is Emma's phone, why are you answering?"

"Because Emma is still asleep, like I said, it's early." She was letting the annoyance play into her tone now and loved knowing this was confusing Mary Margaret to no end.

"She's at your house?"

Regina could practically hear the air flowing thought the younger woman's head.

"Yes." Another pause. Regina was going to make her work for the information.

"Why?"

"She needed me."

"What does that mean?"

"It means…that she needed me. And I was here for her."

"So…what she went over there and stayed in your guestroom?"

"Nope." Regina was smiling wide now just waiting for the next question.

"Enough Regina, where the hell is she?!"

"She's in my bed."

**Yeah I'm definitely going to have to write another chapter but it would just be awesome if you all would be so kind as to drop a review to tell me how you feel :D Thanks for reading! :D**


	4. Chapter 4

"She's in my bed."

Regina had no idea what had come over her. She had never really planned to come out at all and especially not in such a direct way. Whatever it was though, aside from her time with Emma, this was the most exhilarating thing she had done in months.

She wished more than anything she could see the look on Mary Margaret's face. As the silence stretched on, so did her smirk. She wanted to laugh out loud but couldn't let herself ruin this delicious moment. By the time Regina had paced the hallway a third time, there was finally a response.

"That's a very funny joke Regina." Mary Margaret's voice contradicted the words as her nervousness played into her tone.

"Oh my dear, as funny as I do find this whole conversation, I am not joking about Emma. Your daughter is sleeping comfortably, tucked in my bed right where I left her." There was another moment of silence where Regina realized that as much as she wanted to get back into bed with Emma, she was _really_ enjoying herself right now.

"What have you done to her?!"

"Oh I really don't think you want that answer dear. It would most certainly keep you up at night." Yes she was definitely enjoying herself immensely.

"That's it…we're coming to get them! Emma and Henry! Whatever you've done to them to _make_ them like you, or make them stay…whatever you've done we will undo it!" Mary Margaret sounded nearly hysterical and the smirk instantly left Regina's face. Without conscious thought, those words made Regina's blood boil and she reacted in full force.

"You will not take my family from me!"

"You're family?! _We_ are her family and we're coming to bring her home!"

"She _is_ home! You didn't want her, didn't appreciate her. Well I do! I want her! She's staying with me!" Regina was reacting purely out of her instinctual possessiveness and hadn't realized just how loud she was yelling. Not until she stopped and then heard a soft gasp. Jerking her head to the side, she saw that Emma was standing in the bedroom doorway, her mouth hanging open. Regina stood stunned.

_What the hell did I just say?! What did I just do?! Oh my God…_

Regina opened her mouth to speak but stopped suddenly when she saw him. Her eyes widened as Henry took a step out into the hallway, looking back and forth from Regina to Emma. Both women were mimicking the actions as all three people stood in a triangle of complete silence.

Whatever Mary Margaret was yelling went completely unnoticed as Regina slowly started lowering her arm and closed the phone absentmindedly. Emma looked completely shocked but what was baffling Regina was the look of amusement on Henry's face. Both women turned to him, each deciding he was the first priority.

Henry, for his part, took in the almost panicked look on his mother's faces and decided to put them out of their misery.

"Well, Thanksgiving dinner is gonna be awkward." He joked as he walked down the hall past both of them, ignoring their shocked expressions. "Can we have pancakes for breakfast?" He was so casual and Regina barley managed a small nod. He smiled before bouncing down the steps without a care. He was just out of ear shot by the time he could no longer hold in his laughter.

"What just happened?" After a long silence, Emma recovered her voice first. She took a few steps towards Regina, her face still pale in shock.

"Apparently we're having pancakes." She let out a single laugh, trying to work though all that had just occurred as well. She had no explanation for Henry's actions but seeing how the boy was obviously not upset, she decided to focus on Emma for the moment.

"He didn't even…I mean he just…did he know?" Emma's head was spinning and Regina took a step closer now until she was standing directly in front of her.

"Take a deep breath, we'll talk to him in a minute." She shifted her feet nervously. "What are you thinking?" She asked a little timidly now, the opposite of the confidence high she had been on a few moments earlier.

"Did you just come out to my parents?" Regina took a deep breath and placed her hands on Emma's shoulders, sliding them all the way down her arms until she reached her hands, taking them in her own.

"Yes." Regina said simply and Emma blinked a few times.

"I thought you didn't want anyone to know. What changed?" Some of the color was coming back to Emma's face to Regina's relief. She let out another deep breath before answering.

"I didn't. I honestly have no idea what just happened. I guess it was just…waking up with you in my arms. It was just so perfect…so right. Then your mother called. Always there when I start feeling too happy…" She trailed off, looking away almost shyly. "Are you mad?"

"Did you mean what you said? You know about…about wanting me…to stay?" Now Emma was the shy one as she couldn't quite meet Regina's gaze. Regina let go of her hands to wrap them around Emma's waist, pulling her closer.

"Yes." The confidence was rising again in Regina and Emma heard it in her tone. They locked eyes now and both felt their lips start to pull into soft smiles.

"Really?"

"Yes. Emma there is a reason you end up here every time you're sad or lonely. It's because _this_ is your real home. This is where you belong. Henry and I…we're your real family. Will you stay?"

Those words hit Emma harder than anything Mary Margaret had ever said. In fact they had a bigger impact than anything _any _of her previous families had said. Only this time they evoked completely different feelings in her. She had waited to hear that her whole life and now, after all that time…she was completely speechless.

After the silence had stretched on much too long, Regina realized she must have come on too strong. She took a small, hesitant step backwards while looking down at the floor, trying to hide the burning cheeks she knew would be visible. She had just laid everything bare and now she would have to face the consequences. Taking another step back, she started racking her brain for any possible way out of this.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to overwhelm you. You don't have to-"

"I love you." Emma interrupted as her face stretched out into an impossibly large smile. Regina's turned to a look of shock. "And yes. I would love nothing more than to stay."

"I love you too." With watery eyes, Regina started smiling back.

Emma couldn't wait and moved forward, closing the distance. They pressed their lips together and as they had gotten so used to, didn't waste any time. Regina put her hands to Emma's waist again, backing her against the wall. Emma smiled, lifting her own hands to the brunette's face and opening her mouth to accept Regina as she deepened the kiss.

Neither were shy anymore. This was an area they both had only confidence in. Regina leaned into Emma further until their bodies were flush and the blonde grew bolder as well, letting her hands begin wandering down over the body of the woman she loved.

"Hey I thought we were making breakfast?!"

As Henry's words hit their ears, both women pulled back with a laugh. Emma lifted her hands and wiped away the small tear that had fallen from Regina's eye and landed on her cheek. They smiled warmly at each other for a moment, feeling happier than either could remember.

"We're really doing this?" Emma asked, a thrill building higher inside her. She couldn't wipe the smile off her face even if she wanted to.

"Yes my love." Regina leaned in for one more quick kiss. Emma knew she would never tire of hearing Regina call her that.

Walking down the steps, Regina took Emma's hand, intertwining their fingers. There was something so exhilarating about their new found freedom. Emma felt almost slap happy in her excitement. In only moments, her entire world had shifted. She didn't think anything could wipe off her smile. With a deep breath, the couple walked into the kitchen.

"Henry?" Regina started first, still a bit confused at the casual behavior of the boy.

"Mom." He stated simply, looking up from his comic book.

"Hey kid, can we talk to you?"

"About what?" He asked innocently. He let them off the hook upstairs to ease the tension but he couldn't just give them everything. The women locked eyes before looking back to the boy.

"About what you heard upstairs."

"Okay." He was repressing a grin and both mothers could tell.

"You're not going to make this easy are you?" Emma asked, rubbing her eyes. Now he did grin and shake his head.

"You know. I know you do, I just don't know how, or when you found out." Regina leaned on the counter next to Henry, studying the boy. He sighed and placed the comic on the table.

"Of course I do. Who do you think sent Ruby?" He full on smirked now and Emma could see so much of Regina in him that moment. The realization brought a comfort to Emma that surprised her.

"Okay I'm confused." Emma shook her head, sitting in the other side of their son.

"Well I wanted you to see that it wasn't such a big deal. Ruby is one of the "good guys" but she never cared. She's known something was going on since the beginning." He used his fingers for air quotes. Over the months, the boy had matured enough to see that good and evil were pretty relative terms now.

"And you don't care either? You're okay with this? All of us together?" Regina looked at him uncertainly but he smiled reassuringly back.

"I wish you would have just told me. But yeah. I really like our family." Regina smiled and took his hand. They both looked over to see that Emma seemed ready to cry.

"Sorry." She said, trying to shake out of it.

Henry and Regina made eye contact again before both getting up and pulling Emma into a three way hug. All three of them realized this was one of their happiest moments and none wanted it to end. When they separated, they immediately started getting breakfast ready. All of them still had lingering smiles on their faces when the pounding at the front door stopped them all in their tracks.

"No, not again. You have to be kidding me!" Regina reared around towards the door and Emma groaned.

"Well that lasted a whole minute." Emma pressed her eyes closed and her fingers to her forehead. Before she knew it, Regina was bounding towards the front door. Emma glanced at Henry. "Hey keep stirring the pancake mix okay? We'll be right back." He nodded but didn't look too reassured.

Emma ran to catch up to the brunette just in time. Regina opened the door with force but before she had the chance for the first word, Emma slipped right in front of her, making Regina halt immediately. Emma spent just a second taking in the furious and shocked looks of her parents before plastering on a smile and saying the first thing that came to mind.

"We're starting breakfast. Why don't you join us?"

"What?!" Three voiced yelled together.

It seemed Regina and the Charmings could agree on one thing. They were all deeply confused by that. Emma reached back and squeezed Regina's hand. The small gesture did not go unnoticed by Mary Margaret, a fact Emma was a little irritated at. Apparently _now_ her mother was paying attention.

"Obviously we have some things to talk about. Now it is breakfast time and I'm hungry. Henry is waiting so come on." With that, Emma spun on her heel, holding very tightly to Regina's hand, forcing the woman to stay with her and not do any physical damage to her parents. Not that Regina would _ever_ do such a thing of course.

When an almost dazed looking David moved to take a step inside, Mary Margaret grabbed his arm.

"What are you doing?!" She looked at him in disbelief but the man just shrugged.

"She said come on."

"That women has obviously done something to Emma, we have to get her out." She whispered angrily, eyeing the foyer like the walls were going to come alive and grab her.

"And how exactly are we supposed to do that while standing outside the door?" He asked simply and Mary Margaret rolled her eyes. "Plus, Emma doesn't look like a captive. I mean she's wearing pajamas." He shrugged again and Mary Margaret stood stubbornly for another moment before finally taking the slowest and most hesitant step forward.

"What are you doing?!" Regina looked at Emma in disbelief but the blonde just shrugged.

"Making pancakes." She said simply. Henry looked up the moment his mothers reentered the kitchen.

"They threatened to take you away! Now we're just inviting them for breakfast?!" Emma stopped and turned to face her.

"Take a deep breath." She instructed just as Regina had done earlier. She also rubbed her hands up and down Regina's arms soothingly and smiled.

"They are still my parents. And it's not like they can just throw me over their shoulders and carry me out. I'm a big girl. It's about time I started acting like it. You too." She gave her sideways smile Regina always had a hard time resisting. They started leaning in towards one another.

"What are we having?" Mary Margaret interrupted the moment, wholly uncomfortable with the sight. She was covering her swollen stomach with both hands and staring down Regina. The older brunette had a hard time not growling.

"Pancakes." Henry spoke up happily. He sensed the tension and once again, did his part in soothing it. Emma moved over and squeezed his shoulder with a grateful smile. She took over getting the mix ready and Regina walked to Henry. She wrapped an arm around him, though which one of them was providing the comfort was an item up for debate.

The best way to describe the next few moments would definitely be uncomfortable. Mary Margaret and Regina were practicing their death glares on each other with Henry trying to casually ignore them both in between. David seemed oddly fascinated by his own feet and Emma was feeling the same way about the pancake mix.

No one had any idea what to say or how to start. Mary Margaret and David didn't even know what question to ask first. They felt like they were in the twilight zone. Regina couldn't stand the silence but was too stubborn to break it. Emma was racking her brain for any way to explain this to her parents, knowing they would have seen absolutely none of this coming. Henry just wanted peace but felt like he was holding a live grenade in his position and wasn't about to go down.

Finally, Emma had a plate full of pancakes and Regina and Henry gathered the rest of the items, all of them moving to the dining table. Emma just motioned her parents to follow. The husband and wife couldn't hide their astonishment as they watched the other three move. They had shared enough meals at this table together now that they had their own system. It was simple, but the obviously habitual routine gave the couple their first indication of how familial they had become.

When it came to the seating arrangement, Regina was especially careful. She had Emma on one side, separating her from Mary Margaret and Henry on the other to keep a barrier from David. Henry seemed fine but Emma was less comfortable.

They spend the first few minutes eating in silence though there wasn't much of a secret about their feelings. All of them knew though that _someone_ had to finally grow a pair and speak first. In the end it was the decidedly most mature member that finally broke the silence.

"And here I thought a family meal would be awkward." Henry joked with a small laugh. Emma and David joined in but the other two continued the stare down.

"Well sweetie we're not really _all_ a family here." She looked pointedly at Regina.

"Mary Margaret!" Emma started and even David looked a bit surprised at the comment. Regina lifted a hand and rubbed over Emma's back.

"It's alright darling, she has a point." Regina spoke casually, enjoying the clenching jaws of the husband and wife. They didn't miss or appreciate her hand or the term of endearment aimed at their daughter.

"Okay that's it." Mary Margaret placed her utensils down none too gently. "What _exactly_ is going on here?"

Emma followed her actions but much more calmly and took a deep breath. No one noticed that when her hand disappeared under the table, it found Regina's instantly.

"Regina and I have been seeing each other." She was calm but to the point. Regina squeezed her hand, proud of her for the honest answer.

"Seeing each other?" Mary Margaret tried to stay calm as well but couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"Yes."

"And when exactly did you two start _seeing _each other?" Her face was turning a bit red now and David had his teeth clenched next to her.

"A little over eight months ago." Emma was a bit startled at how severely her parents' eyes widened. It would be funny if they didn't actually look ready to explode.

"Eight months?!" David finally spoke up and not at all quietly.

"How is that even possible?" Mary Margaret's tone had lowered a bit now in total disbelief.

"The real question, Mary Margaret, is how it's even possible that you haven't noticed?" Regina shook her head at the shocked pair.

"You were obviously sneaking around, how was I supposed to?!" The younger woman defended.

"Oh I don't know. Maybe if you had the ability to look anywhere beyond your stomach, you could have seen what was right in front of you!" Mary Margaret's jaw dropped and Emma squeezed Regina's hand this time, trying to calm the woman. She truly didn't want to lose anyone in this fight.

"I pay attention to my daughter!"

"Oh is that so?! You don't even know what bed she sleeps in!" The parents gasped and Emma rose her free hand in the air.

"Whoa okay. Henry?" Emma looked over to the boy with a sympathetic smile and tilted her head towards the steps. He sighed but stood up.

"Fine, but I'm taking my pancakes." He did and ran up to his bedroom.

"Okay let's all take a deep breath." Emma realized that seemed to be the motto of this rather emotionally intense day.

"Emma you have no idea what you're doing. This woman is a witch. We have acknowledged her part in Henry's life but you two can't be together. It's just wrong." She looked disgusted at the thought and while Emma was feeling her anger rise, she decided to try one last time at the calm approach.

"This is the most right I have felt in my entire life." Regardless of the tension, Regina smiled at that. "This woman is not a witch, or Evil Queen or anything else you can come up with. I do in fact know exactly what I'm doing and we can and _will_ be together." The finality of the statement played out clearly in her tone. Although one person was filled with warmth at that, the other two felt a bit differently.

"Why are you doing this to us?" Her mother's words made Emma's jaw fall open. Looking next to her, she saw Regina had the same reaction.

"This isn't about you. I am sorry we didn't tell you before, but this is exactly why. I know it's hard to understand but Regina makes me happy." Regina appreciated the words but hated the sad tone Emma was taking now. She just wished these people would leave and never return. She started rubbing her thumb over Emma's knuckles, her silent show of support.

"We don't want this for you."

"No. You just want me to leave. But then not go where I am genuinely happy. You're asking me to be alone because this is it. Regina or nothing." She was getting angrier now, the never ending stubbornness wearing her thin.

"It's not that, we just want-"

"Everything." Regina interrupted in a disbelieving tone, her patience completely depleted. "You want absolutely everything. But you already do. You _have_ everything! You have your perfect happy ending, now let your daughter have hers."

"Happy ending? When did we go from seeing each other to your happy ending?" David wasn't as emotional but he still wasn't wrapping his head around it.

"When I realized I was in love with her." Once again the few words had a radically different effect on the room's occupants. Although she was expecting that, Mary Margaret still surprised her.

"Oh God!" She gasped and paled a bit but before anyone could respond, she spoke again. "My water just broke."

"Of course it did." And Regina rolled her eyes.

* * *

"So you told her you were in love and she went into labor?"

"Henry it's not funny." Emma turned in the passenger seat to give him a pointed look but the boy still laughed a little.

"It's a little funny."

"Regina?!" Emma turned to the smirking brunette driving. After a moment though, she couldn't help but laugh as well. "This has got to be the craziest day." She just shook her head. No one could disagree.

"Did she have the baby yet?" Henry asked, not caring about the drama, just excited about the baby.

"I think so kid, or almost. David said she was almost here an hour ago."

"And you want to go in too Mom?" He asked a little skeptically.

"No Henry I do not, but unfortunately your other mother does not have her car and no one drives my Mercedes but me." She smirked but Emma smiled, enjoying the casual use of her title by Regina.

"Alright kid come on." Emma started unbuckling as Regina pulled in and parked in the hospital parking lot. "Will you come?" She looked over to the brunette who slowly turned her head. Emma knew the answer without hearing it.

"I will wait here."

"Okay. We shouldn't be long." She leaned over and gave a quick kiss to Regina's lips. After she pulled though, she gave a smile that was matched by the other woman and leaned in for one more, a little longer this time. "We should have come out sooner."

"Oh yes because it went _so_ well." Emma rolled her eyes but went in for another kiss.

"Yes here I am. Right behind you. Your son. Henry. Right here." The boy looked straight out the window, not at all interested in seeing his parents making out.

"Sorry kid, come on."

The happy and casual demeanor the two had when walking in the OB wing only lasted a second. The energy of the floor was completely chaotic and Emma immediately pulled Henry closer. The further they walked, the more nervous Emma grew. Rounding a corner, she grabbed a nurse by the arm.

"Hey what's happening here?"

"A newborn is coding." Was all she said before running down the hall. Emma's heart dropped. Storybrook was a small town. She knew who it was.

"Henry go get your mom. Now." Her tone left no room for argument and the boy obeyed immediately, taking off down the hall. She ran to towards the delivery room to find David running as well.

"Emma?" He looked panicked and was nearly hyperventilating.

"What's happened?" She placed her hands on his shoulders, trying to keep him steady.

"The baby she's…she's not breathing. Mary Margaret is crying. I don't know what to do!"

"Breathe. Just breath." She was trying to stay calm. It wouldn't do to have them both hysterical. She had an easier time when Regina's figure came into her peripheral vision.

"Coding?" Regina started, repeating the word Henry had yelled through the window.

"She's not breathing. Is there anything you can do? Any…I don't know…healing magic?" Emma looked into Regina's eyes as the brunette racked her brain. "She's my baby sister." Saying it made it so much more real and suddenly nothing with her parents mattered. None of her own personal problems or feelings mattered. Her little sister was dying and saving her was most important. Regina's eyes flashed up.

"Where is she?" Regina spoke to David, who now looked like he wasn't breathing at all.

"David, where's the baby?!" Emma got in his face until he snapped out of it and started moving.

Running into the room, Emma saw things were even more hectic. A large group of nurses and Dr Whale all working together surrounding the tiny infant. Regina just pushed though like she owned the place and only faltered a second at the sight of the blue tinted skin.

"Hands off, everyone." Most of them didn't listen and Emma shoved though.

"Back off!" She pushed at everyone's hands but before anyone could vocalize their objections, Regina moved in.

She placed a hand on the baby's forehead, the other on her chest. Regina immediately started muttering something under her breath and slowly, a light pink glow began emanating from her hands. Everyone stood still with wide eyes and opened mouths as the pink glow encased the entire child. When she stopped, the light died down and Regina removed her hands. No one moved. No one even breathed.

Then they heard a cry.

The sound was one of the most beautiful things anyone had ever heard. Everyone including Regina gasped in shock. She hadn't used magic in many months and she had certainly never tried bringing air back into the lungs of an infant. She swayed a bit, having expelled more energy then she was used to. Emma was right by her side though and wrapped her arms around the brunette's frame, steadying her.

"That was seriously the most incredible thing I have ever seen. You are amazing." Emma kept an arm around Regina and walked them over to Henry by the door while the hospital staff got to work checking all the baby's vitals.

"Yeah Mom that was so cool!" Henry chimed in, supporting Regina from the other side.

"Thank you both." Her tone was a bit weakened as well and after they departed the room, Emma walked them over to an available bed, having Regina sit on the end.

"Are you okay?" Usually Regina was the comforter out of the two of them but Emma didn't miss a beat, standing in front of Regina, placing her hands on either side of the brunettes face. She examined Regina's pale skin and placed a kiss on her forehead.

"I'll be fine. Just exhausted." She smiled and Henry sat down next to her.

"Okay, I'm gonna go check on them but I'll be right back and I can take you home." She kissed her one more time but when she moved away Regina grabbed her hand.

"You're not driving my Mercedes." She spoke as sternly as she could but Emma just grinned.

"Yeah okay beautiful." Emma kept her grin as she walked away and as Regina was rolling her eyes, she caught her son with an expression mirroring his blonde mother's.

When Emma made it to Mary Margaret's room, it was just in time to see David placing the new infant in her arms. The look on her mother's face, that look of total relief and love did make a small smile pull at Emma's lips. She walked in slowly, gaining the attention of both parents.

"Emma, come here." All the arguments of the morning seemed to be temporarily forgotten to Emma's relief. She approached them and sat of the edge of the hospital bed. Lifting her fingers, she let them graze lightly over the baby's warm skin.

"She's beautiful."

"Eva." Mary Margaret started with a small tear. "We're naming her after my mother."

"Well then little Eva, I'm glad you're okay." She rubbed the baby's cheek before looking up to see her parents locking eyes.

"David said that Regina had something to do with that." She spoke hesitantly.

"She saved her life." They all took a moment to let that absorb. Emma could see the conflict in both her parents' eyes. The one person they had no problem hating had just saved their little girl. Mary Margaret looked back down at her baby, leaning to place a gentle kiss on the pink skin.

"Maybe we could…try again." She looked up shyly and slowly, David nodded in agreement.

"Thank you." It wasn't everything, in fact it wasn't much at all. But it was something. Emma guessed she couldn't really expect them to go from hate to love in one day. She sighed lightly and stood. "I'm gonna go home with Regina, but I'll stop by tomorrow and maybe we could talk."

"You know we didn't mean to hurt you." Emma stopped walking to look back at her parents.

"I know. We'll talk tomorrow."

"Tell Regina…tell her we're grateful."

"I will." After that, Emma left the room.

There was still that small amount of jealousy as she saw her parents dote over little Eva. But the second she rounded the corner and saw Regina look up, matching smiles forming on both their faces, there was such a warmth and comfort that overcame her and she knew exactly where she belonged. Those feelings increased ten fold when the brunette stood and took Emma's hand, intertwining their fingers.

"Ready to go home?" Regina's simple question broadened Emma's smile and the blonde could only nod, her emotions making her voice untrustworthy.

After a long, somewhat ridiculous argument, Emma managed to get the keys from Regina. It was when Regina swayed on her feet again while trying to hold them off that Emma had won. She liked taking care of the brunette for a change and did the job happily.

Even though Regina was back to herself by the nighttime, Emma still waited on her. Regina certainly couldn't complain when Emma was "helping" her out of her clothes and into the shower. After drying off, Emma lifted the covers for Regina and laid down next to her so the pair were facing each other on their sides.

"Feeling better?" Emma was pretty sure of the answer after what had just occurred in the shower.

"Very much. You are quite the white knight aren't you?" She smiled, threading her fingers into blonde hair.

"Well just for you. Not just anyone gets the royal treatment, your Majesty." She winked and Regina laughed in response. When she calmed down, she moved her hand to cup Emma's cheek.

"I'm really happy you're here." Emma was elated to note only honesty in Regina's words.

"I'm really happy to be here." They had moved close enough that Emma just had to lean a few inches to press her lips against Regina's. It wasn't long, but still full of love and comfort.

"I love you."

"I love you too."

Emma realized then she would never tire of saying that. The words still didn't seem enough. Regina done for her what no one else ever had. She had taken care of Emma in a way she had always needed. Gave her a family and a home she has always wanted. Filled a void in her Emma thought would always be there.

The knowledge that she wasn't alone anymore filled her with so much emotion. In an attempt to keep it all under control, Emma closed her eyes, wrapping her arms around the brunette. Regina sensed the mood and like usual, pulled Emma against her, letting her own heart beat soothe the younger woman. Like the night before, she leaned down and whispered into Emma's ear.

"Welcome home my knight."

**This was the longest chapter i have ever written for anything! I didn't want to cut anything out though. I hope you all enjoyed this story! Like i said in the beginning, i got more reviews for that first chapter than anything else and that's what turned this one-shot into a four part story. **

**The support was amazing and i want to thank you all! Especially to blondiecsi and kaylee214 for reading each chapter first and making sure they were okay! Thank you all so much! **

**And hey, you all know how much i love your reviews so if you wanted to drop one in for me that would be just awesome! :D**


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